New teen in the family (or I GOT A JEEP!)

[daveleau]

Today I purchased an '87 Cherokee.
Stats:
2 year old 4.0L (~25-30k ont he motor, 165K on the truck)
4WD
3" lift w/ 30x1050 tires and black rims
Matte black paint (durable for off-roading)
beige interior
3rd party roof rack

I got it in Houston (3 hours away) for $2000. It needs work, but runs great as is. No body damage (except for a bent back bumper) and no rust (at all!). The tranny is smooth and it shifts easily into 4WD H and 4WD L. The engine runs great and it starts easily. The interior, while dirty, is perfect. No tears or burns. The interior was from a 94 Cherokee.

Now the problems.
--TONS of oil leaks. It needs a new main rear seal and head gasket seal. Needs a quart a month.
--Rear Transfer case leaks (looking into fixing this now, myself)
--Tires are scalloped from not being rotated enough (noisy)
--Windshield is cracked
--Fuel flow sensor not connected when fuel pump replaced (read empty all the time)
--Small exhaust leak near engine

Anyone know how to find out what transfer case I have? There are 4 different ones on Cherokees, and the parts stores don't know how to find out which it is. They are VERY different, because they range in capacity from 7q of Dexron 2 tranny fluid to 2.2q.
Also, anyone know how to get oil off of paint? The drive got some oil on the back hatch, and I don't want to use anything that will take the paint off. The soap at the car wash (do-it-yourself car wash with foam brush) didn't get it all.

I attached an image of it (before the wash).

Dave

[desmocat]

You might try that stuff castrol makes, superclean I think it's called?
Bad thing about it is, flat paint will soak up the oil and dang near impossible to get out totally.
If all else fails, get some carb cleaner and a can of flat black and do a little touch up.

[Kuasimodem]

Gunk Foamy Engine cleaner

It won't damage the paint, but it will remove all the oil!

[Ed_S]

3M Adhesive Cleaner or Crest Acri-Solve. Same product, actually. There is nothing better for removing tar & oil from paint. Period!

Usually available in the aerosol form from parts houses, but if you can find it, get the liquid instead.
Or just cruise on by, I've got a few quarts here...

The stuff cleans off everything, including wax, and may leave a residue if it dries on the surface. You WILL need to follow up with a hand buffing of the area with a "deep cleaning" wax or compound.


BTW, congrats an the new toy, Dave!

[Warthog]

Nice! I saw a Jeep just like that for sale at Ft. Benning for about the same price....fun vehicle

[daveleau]

Has anyone used the oil-stop-leak stuff for their engines? Is it ok to do so? Will it hurt the engine?
Thanks
Dave

[Brainchild]

Good buy IMO Dave.Good looking truck.

Oil stop leak,never used it.

You'll prolly have to find out which transmission it has to determine which transfer case it uses.The older jeeps used Ford,Chevy,and Dodge transmissions,as well as a Jeep made unit.I don't know if this is true with this new a model.

Lets go muddin

[Ed_S]

Dave, I don't know of an oil stop leak I'd recommend. Honestly, if the rear main's blown I doubt anything short of a new seal will help. Those are usually heavy leakage!

BUT - I would highly recommend an oil additive called PTFE (Not "Slick 50"). This one has a higher concentration of teflon. The stuff actually works!

I had a severely blown rear main on my 87 F150's 351, which had been treated with PTFE a few years previously. Not proud of it, but I actually ran it dry twice - but never had so much as a warning light come on, and no noises. I just didn't realize it was that low until I noticed it wasn't leaking any more... No damage resulted, it runs great to this day! (I see the current owner occasionally )

[daveleau]

Sweet. I'll check that out along with the cleaners above. Thanks.

[thekingofpain]

Originally posted by Ed_S
3M Adhesive Cleaner or Crest Acri-Solve. Same product, actually. There is nothing better for removing tar & oil from paint. Period!

Usually available in the aerosol form from parts houses, but if you can find it, get the liquid instead.
Or just cruise on by, I've got a few quarts here...

The stuff cleans off everything, including wax, and may leave a residue if it dries on the surface. You WILL need to follow up with a hand buffing of the area with a "deep cleaning" wax or compound.


BTW, congrats an the new toy, Dave!

Commonly called Naptha (bug and tar remover at an Auto supply)---Home Depot has quarts in the paint dept for a couple bucks...